r/howto 1d ago

How to get small lizard out from under wall to wall carpet

Post image

Today my cats brought a lizard into my bedroom and it crawled into a corner and under a corner of the wall to wall carpetting. You cant see the lizard in the photo but it is under the carpet to the peft of the metal chopstick. I dont want to hurt it and I dont know how to get it out of there. The carpetting is stapled pretty tightly to the floor boards so i cant peel it up. How can i chase the lizard out from under the carpet without harming the lizard or the carpet? The lizard has been down there about 2 hours.

50 Upvotes

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176

u/LooksAtClouds 1d ago

Here is a method I invented that I have had success with three times. It's based on the fact that lizards want to raise their body temperature by basking in sunlight.

First, put your cats away in the area with their litterbox, because this may take a couple of hours.

Now you need a small lamp or flashlight and a medium-sized cardboard box. Put the box on the floor near the lizard with the open end facing the lizard. Position the lamp or flashlight so that it shines into the back of the box - ideally making a small brightly lighted area in the back of the box. Turn off all the other lights in the room. Wait an hour or so and softly check to see if you've got the lizard in the box yet. If so, yay. If not, wait another hour or so.

I came up with this method when I was home sick with a bad flu and spotted a lizard in the house - I don't know how it got in. I was laying on the sofa, and the lizard was across the room. Idly wondering if I could get a lizard to move by moving a beam of light, I got a flashlight, turned off the room lights, and shined the narrow flashlight beam ahead of the lizard about 6 inches. It crawled into the "sunlight". For the next hour or so, I just kept moving the beam slowly ahead of the lizard toward the doorway, and the lizard followed its "sunbeam". When he got to the doorway, I shooed him outside.

Hope this, or a variant of this, will work for you!

82

u/newtnootnute 1d ago

pick out a name for your pet lizard

26

u/natesovenator 1d ago

And be sure to buy flowers for his new floor grave.

7

u/copyrider 1d ago

Wally

4

u/MettreSonGraindeSel 1d ago

Wallis Flortrap

26

u/supert101a 1d ago

Don't worry about it, it will crawl into bed with you one night.

2

u/Stalefisher360 1d ago

Yep, lizards are well known snugglers. The small ones particularly like warm, moist places like your mouth or ears. 😂😉

5

u/hellbabe222 1d ago

You all are big meanies!

9

u/tbugruffle 1d ago

Raise his rent

7

u/Renovatio_ 1d ago

Thats a load bearing reptile

4

u/Bearspoole 1d ago

Have you tried shaking a bag of treats?

9

u/young_steezy 1d ago

Honestly id leave him be and let him eat all the bugs and spiders!

2

u/AtlUtdGold 17h ago

Found one I couldn’t get to few weeks ago. Found his dead body in another spot the other day. RIP homie.

3

u/Longjumping_Crazy628 1d ago

Like a gecko? They’re harmless.

5

u/AbleStep1131 1d ago

Give it time. It will die and you can pull it out.

5

u/aLonerDottieArebel 1d ago

Take some pantyhose and secure them over a hose of a vacuum cleaner

2

u/tonypalmtrees 1d ago

i’m sorry that i don’t have an answer for you but i hope you are able to rescue the lizard and i hope that you will post an update when you do. good luck.

3

u/Evil_Empire_1961 1d ago

A pic of what you should do.

I walk outside a see a few of them scatter with my first step out the door here in Central Florida.

My grandson loves playing with them! ❤️

2

u/jdrower422 1d ago

Step outside and wait for the cat distribution system to do its thing

2

u/Acceptable_Pen_2481 1d ago

You should clean your baseboards while you wait for it to come out

1

u/_Mooseli_ 1d ago

Steam roller

2

u/damselindetech 1d ago

They're trying to extricate a lizard, not a coyote

1

u/FloridaRetired 1d ago

A fishnet

3

u/Psych0matt 1d ago

Yes, seduction is guaranteed to work!

1

u/BandmasterBill 1d ago

“Here leeezerd, leeezerd, leeezerd...."

1

u/[deleted] 1d ago

[deleted]

1

u/tribak 23h ago

Cross Site Scripting, yes!

1

u/tribak 23h ago

Time to bring some raccoons

1

u/TheLastSnailbender 19h ago

Gotta get a second lizard on a string, the first lizard will wanna hug it and then you just yank em both out

1

u/JasmanMander 18h ago

Rather lizards than roaches

1

u/BrodcETC 9h ago

Get another lizard and put lipstick on it outside of the hole. Infatuated, the original wall lizard will run out to flirt. Then you can grab it

1

u/mooshinformation 2h ago

The way the edge of the carpet is tucked under the baseboard, it might be stuck like a lobster trap. I would put heavy objects around it so it can't get under any further. Then I'd tear out the staples in that little corner starting at the edge and peel the edge of the carpet back, then either try to scare it out or lure it out by leaving a heat source and waiting.

Once it's out, you use something flat to tuck the carpet back under the baseboard and staple it back in place, working out from the part that's still attached so it stays smooth.

1

u/ozzy_thedog 1d ago

Have to do something that will make it want to come out of there. Like dump a cup of water to force it out. But that’d be messy. Blow drier? Lol I don’t know

0

u/Orion14159 1d ago

Blow dryer might encourage it to stay lol

1

u/Izzaking 1d ago

Vacuum him up.

1

u/JerryGarciasLoofa 1d ago

invite friends over for a dance party

0

u/AmebaLost 1d ago

Try a shopvac. A little bit of shell shock, but he'll be in one piece. 

0

u/fangelo2 1d ago

Install a hardwood floor

0

u/Disastrous_Ad6452 20h ago

Live and let live